Pay breakthrough sees Woolies warehouse workers return to work

Woolworths workers have thanked the Albury-Wodonga community for its support, after a week-long strike ended with an agreement on Friday night.

The workers at the company's Barnawartha warehouse had been protesting against the company's decision to pay more to employees doing the same job in Melbourne.

However, they will go back to work this morning, after accepting a pay offer from Woolworths on Friday which will reduce the wage gap between regional and metropolitan workers.

Neil Smith from the National Union of Workers says the company's decision to award the staff an 8.5 per cent pay rise over two years is a win for all workers in regional Australia.

"We hope we've drawn a line in the sand for the companies, that they have to stand up and recognise that it's not cheaper to live here and just because you want to live in the country, which is a great thing, you shouldn't be paid less for the same work," he said.

"It wasn't just about the workers here, it was the whole region and why should we here in the region earn less than in the cities just because big corporate giants say we should?

"Everybody really wants to thank the community for its support and yes, it's been fantastic."